Small thin piece holder using elastic material

ABSTRACT

To provide a small thin piece holder which can reduce damage due to contact with an adhesive and bend or damage generated in detachment, and can stably, detachably hold or carry only one part of a small thin piece, a sheet shaped member having elasticity is provided with a cut into which one part of a small thin piece can be detachably inserted and which can hold it.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a small thin piece holder which holds and carries a small thin piece to be a target for observation and processing mainly in a minute area.

In recent years, integrated circuits and other devices are increasingly minimized and sophisticated, and it is indispensable to observe and process a micro sample in a complex form. The samples of these devices are extremely delicate, and it is difficult to handle them, such as holding and carrying them.

Then, heretofore, a material which has an adhesion property is used as a holding stage and a carry sheet for a sample (see Patent References 1 and 2 and Non-patent Reference 1), whereby the sample can be protected against an impact and can be handled easily. More specifically, the sample is closely brought into contact with the top surface of the sheet having the adhesion property for allowing holding and carrying it. Therefore, the sample will not move due to a slight vibration, and thus the sample can be prevented from being damaged, and a sample retainer can be eliminated as well.

However, in a holding and carrying method by a conventional sheet using the adhesion property for holding and carrying a sample, in the case in which a sample is very fragile or thin, a problem arises that the sample is bent or damaged when it is peeled from the sheet and a broken piece caused by the damaged sample damages other samples. In addition, when a thin plate-shaped sample has the observation or processing target on the front and back sides or the end face thereof, for example in case of a TEM mesh which is used for observing a minute area and on which a TEM sample is placed, the portion for observation or processing is inevitably brought into contact with an adhesive configuring the sheet, and the contact immediately causes damage on the target area. Therefore, holding and carrying the sample is not allowed by this method.

-   -   [Patent Reference1] JP-A-2004-39928     -   [Patent Reference2] JP-A-2005-116920     -   [Non-patent Reference1] GEL-PAK, “GEL-Trays (Carrier Trays)”,         [online],         <URL:http://www.gelpak.com/products/gel_tray.html> on the         Internet, searched on Jul. 5, 2005

In view of the circumstances above, an object of the invention is to provide a small thin piece holder which can reduce damage due to contact with an adhesive and bend or damage generated in detachment, and can stably, detachably hold or carry only one part of a small thin piece.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect according to the invention is providing a small thin piece holder comprises a sheet shaped member having elasticity which is provided with at least one cut into which one part of a small thin piece can be detachably inserted and held.

In the first aspect, even if the sheet has an adhesion property, one part of the small thin piece is held and the small thin piece will not be brought into contact with an adhesive except the one part to be held. Thus, the small thin piece can be prevented from being damaged in attachment of the adhesive. In addition, in taking out of the small thin piece, it can be taken out in such a manner in which it is pulled out of the sheet shaped member, not peeled therefrom in the conventional manner. Therefore, the small thin piece can be prevented from being broken or bent.

A second aspect according to the invention is that in the first aspect, the sheet shaped member is formed of an elastomer.

In the second aspect, the cut formed in an elastic product is used to allow effectively holding a small thin piece.

A third aspect according to the invention is that in the second aspect, the sheet member is a thermoplastic elastomer or rubber.

In the third aspect, the thermoplastic elastomer or rubber can effectively hold a small thin piece.

A fourth aspect according to the invention is that in the first aspect, the sheet shaped member is formed of hydro-gel.

In the fourth aspect, hydro-gel can effectively hold a small thin piece.

A fifth aspect according to the invention is that in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the sheet shaped member has an elasticity of 10⁻⁴ MPa to 2 MPa at room temperature.

In the fifth aspect, the small thin piece can be held in the optimum elasticity.

A seventh aspect according to the invention is that in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the cut is provided in a direction orthogonal to the top surface of the sheet shaped member.

In the seventh aspect, a small thin piece can be held almost vertically in the cut formed from the top surface of the sheet shaped member in the direction orthogonal to the top surface thereof. The accommodation space in the plane direction can be suppressed, and a large number of the small thin pieces can be held.

An eighth aspect according to the invention is that in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the cut is provided in a direction tilting toward the top surface of the sheet shaped member.

In the eighth aspect, a small thin piece can be held in the cut provided on the top surface of the sheet shaped member in the direction tilting toward the top surface thereof. The accommodation space in the height direction can be minimized, and the accommodation space in the plane direction can be suppressed.

A ninth aspect according to the invention is that in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the sheet shaped member is housed in a container having a lid.

In the ninth aspect, a small thin piece can be protected against deposits such as dust or a scattering of liquid, and carrying the small thin piece holder can be facilitated. In addition, when the sheet shaped member is formed of a water containing compound such as hydro-gel, evaporation of moisture can be reduced.

A tenth aspect according to the invention is that in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the small thin piece is an MEMS structure or a TEM mesh or a microscope cantilever.

In the tenth aspect, the sheet shaped member allows placing, carrying and removing the MEMS structure or the TEM mesh or the microscope cantilever without breakage or bend.

[Advantage of the Invention]

The small thin piece holder according to the invention can reduce damage due to contact with an adhesive and bend or damage generated in detachment, and can stably, detachably hold or carry only one part of a small thin piece, thereby allowing easy holding and carrying of a three-dimensional micro structure such as the MEMS substrate, the TEM mesh or the microscope cantilever, which is difficult to do so by a conventional adhesive holding stage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view depicting the small thin piece holder according to the first embodiment of the invention and FIG. 1B shows the part to fix the micro sample on the TEM mesh which is an exemplary small thin piece.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view depicting the small thin piece holder according to the first embodiment of the invention fixing the microscope cantilever which is an exemplary small thin piece.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are top views depicting the small thin piece holder according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross sectional views depicting the small thin piece holder according to the second embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross sectional views depicting the small thin piece holder according to the second embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIRST EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 to 4 relate to a first embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 1A and 2 show perspective views depicting the essential part of a small thin piece holder. FIG. 1B shows an enlarged view depicting a part to fix a micro sample shown as an exemplary small thin piece on a TEM mesh in the embodiment. FIGS. 3A and 3B show top views depicting the overall small thin piece holder. FIGS. 4A and 4B show cross sectional views depicting a sheet shaped member.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 3, a small thin piece holder 10 according to the embodiment has a cut 12 on a sheet shaped member 11, and one end of a small thin piece 13 is held in the cut 12. FIG. 1A shows a TEM mesh 2 on which a micro sample 1 is fixed as an example of the small thin piece 13. FIG. 1B shows an enlarged view depicting the part to fix the micro sample 1. FIG. 2 shows a microscope cantilever 3 as an example of the small thin piece 13.

The sheet shaped member 11 is formed of a material having elasticity. In addition, the thickness may be freely set, and it may not be constant. For the examples of the sheet shaped member 11, rubber, a thermoplastic elastomer, hydro-gel, etc. are named. Among them, a thermoplastic elastomer is a useful material because it can be shaped easily by heat and can be reused for other purposes.

The cut 12 is provided in the sheet shaped member 11, and the small thin piece 13 is inserted and held in the cut 12. Thus, the small thin piece 13 is inserted and held detachably and easily with reductions in damage due to contact with an adhesive and in bend or damage generated in detachment.

In order to effectively hold and detach the small thin piece 13 by the cut 12, it is suitable that the elasticity of the sheet shaped member 11 is 10⁻⁴ MPa to 2 MPa at room temperature.

The cut 12 may be provided in such a state that it reaches the bottom of the sheet shaped member 11 to cut the sheet shaped member 11 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 2. Alternatively, it may be provided in a shallow depth with respect to the sheet shaped member 11. When the cut 12 cuts the sheet shaped member 11, it is necessary that the sheet shaped members are closely contacted with each other so as to hold the small thin piece. In this case, these ways are effective that the sheet shaped member 11 is boned to the sheet holding substrate 4, or the sheet shaped member 11 is formed and placed in a base 20 (24) which is in a shape to envelop the sheet shaped member 11 therein as shown in FIG. 5.

The cut may be cut physically by a cutter, or may be cut by a beam etc. Alternatively, it is no problem that the edge faces of the elastic material are formed side by side. In the case in which the sheet holding substrate 4 and the base 20 (24) shown in FIG. 5 are significantly harder than the sheet shaped member 11, only the sheet shaped member 11 can be fully cut when the cut is formed physically. Therefore, the thickness of the sheet shaped member 11 is set to provide the cut in a given depth. In addition, when the thickness of the sheet shaped member 11 satisfies a required amount of depth of the cut enough, the depth of the cut more than necessary can be formed without reaching the sheet holding substrate 4 and the base 20 (24), and the sheet shaped member 11 is not cut.

For an example of the small thin piece 13, in addition to the TEM mesh 2 and the microscope cantilever 3, an MEMS structure and the like are named. A sample, a component and the like that are difficult to be placed on a flat adhesive in the direction of its horizontal plane can be inserted and held easily.

FIG. 3A shows an exemplary cut arrangement in the small thin piece holder. The cut 12 is disposed at three places discretely in a line (in the lateral direction in the drawing), and the cut 12 is disposed in three rows horizontally at nine places in total (in the vertical direction in the drawing). A single small thin piece 13 is inserted and held in each of the cuts, and nine small thin pieces 13 in total are inserted and held therein. The number of the cuts 12 and the arrangement can be set freely. Furthermore, a plurality of small thin pieces 13 may be inserted and held in a single cut 12. In addition, in FIG. 3A, a plurality of the cuts 12 is disposed discretely on the straight line, and the cuts 12 are similarly, neatly arranged in each of the rows. However, it is unnecessary to arrange the cut 12 in a row or in tiers, and it may be arranged at random. Therefore, the cut arrangement can be set freely in accordance with the number or the shape of the small thin piece.

In FIGS. 1A and 1B, a micro sample 1 on the TEM mesh 2 is fixed on the upper end between two notches 2 a disposed on the TEM mesh. For fixing the micro sample 1, an adhesive or a carbon thin film is used to fix it. In the small thin piece holder 10 according to the invention, with respect to the end part of the TEM mesh 2, the micro sample 1 is inserted into the cut 12 so that the position at which the micro sample 1 is fixed is distant from the sheet shaped member 11. In addition, in FIG. 2, the sharp tip end part of the microscope cantilever is similarly important, and the small thin piece holder 10 according to the invention can hold the end part opposite to the sharp tip end. Therefore, the sharp tip end parts of the micro sample 1 and the microscope cantilever 3 can be prevented from being brought into contact with the sheet shaped member 11, and damage or the like can be prevented.

FIG. 3B shows another exemplary cut arrangement in the small thin piece holder. A cut 15 is continuously linearly disposed, three small thin pieces 13 are inserted and held in a single row, the similar row is disposed in three tiers in total (in the vertical direction in the drawing), and nine small thin pieces 13 in total are inserted and held. Since the cut 15 continues linearly, the small thin piece 13 can be freely disposed at given positions in any number on the cut 15.

The cut may be disposed discretely as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, or may be disposed linearly. When a thick sample is placed, the sheet shaped member is deformed around the place at which the sample is placed. When the cuts are disposed discretely, the effect of the deformed sheet shaped member can be reduced on changes in the shape of the adjacent cut. In addition, when the cut is formed linearly, the cut can be formed easily.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show the examples that the cut 12 (15) is disposed on the top surface of the sheet shaped member 11 in the direction orthogonal to the top surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 4, the cut 12 (15) may be disposed on the top surface of the sheet shaped member 11 in the direction tilting toward the top surface thereof.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show cross sectional views depicting the sheet shaped member 11. In FIG. 4A, the cut 12 is disposed on the top surface of the sheet shaped member 11 in the direction orthogonal to the top surface thereof, and in FIG. 4B, the cut 12 (15) is disposed on the top surface of the sheet shaped member 11 in the direction tilting toward the top surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 4A, the cut 12 (15) is disposed on the top surface of the sheet shaped member 11 in the direction orthogonal to the top surface thereof, and thus the accommodation space in the plane direction can be suppressed to hold a large number of the small thin pieces 13. As shown in FIG. 4B, the cut 12 (15) is disposed on the top surface of the sheet shaped member 11 in the direction tilting toward the top surface thereof, and thus the accommodation space in the height direction can be suppressed. The cut is disposed at an angle suitable for holding the small thin piece 13. Thus, a sample, a component and the like in a complex form or having a target for observation or processing on the front and back sides thereof can be easily held and carried.

SECOND EMBODIMENT

FIG. 5 shows cross sectional views depicting a small thin piece holder according to a second embodiment of the invention.

The second embodiment of the invention is an example that the holder 10 (14) shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B (in which the cut 12 (15) is disposed on the top surface of a sheet shaped member 11 in the direction tilting toward the top surface thereof) is housed in a container 22 (23).

In FIG. 5A, a base 20 of the container 22 houses the sheet shaped member 11, the opening of the base 20 is covered with a cover 21, the cover 21 is fit to the opening edge of the base 20, and the base 20 and the cover 21 are formed in one piece.

In FIG. 5B, a base 24 of a container 23 houses the sheet shaped member 11, and the opening of the base 24 is covered with a cover 25. The end parts of the base 24 and the cover 25 are joined together by a joining member 26, and the cover 25 is openable as it is in one piece with the base 24. For the joining member 26, a hinge and the like are used.

For the material of the base and the cover in FIG. 5, a transparent resin, a light shield resin and the like are preferable. The transparent resin allows confirmation of the inside even though the cover is closed. The light shield resin is suitable for such the case in which it is not preferable that the small thin piece 13 is exposed to light.

A small thin piece holder 16 (17) according to the embodiment is covered with the cover 21 (25) entirely, and the cover 21 (25) is fit or joined to the base 20 (24). Therefore, the small thin piece can be protected against deposits such as dust or a scattering of liquid, and carrying the small thin piece holder 16 (17) can be facilitated. In addition, when the sheet shaped member 11 is formed of a water containing compound, evaporation of moisture can be reduced.

Also in the embodiment, the angle and the arrangement of the cut disposed in the sheet shaped member 11 and the types and the number of the small thin piece inserted and held may be set freely.

The invention can be used in the industrial fields related to the small thin piece holder for use in holding and carrying the small thin piece that is a target for observation and processing it mainly in the minute area. 

1. A small thin piece holder comprising a sheet shaped member having elasticity which is provided with at least one cut into which one part of a small thin piece can be detachably inserted and held.
 2. A small thin piece holder according to claim 1, wherein the sheet shaped member is formed of an elastomer.
 3. A small thin piece holder according to claim 2, wherein the elastomer is a thermoplastic elastomer or rubber.
 4. A small thin piece holder according to claim 1, wherein the sheet shaped member is formed of hydro-gel.
 5. A small thin piece holder according to claim 1, wherein the sheet shaped member has an elasticity of 10⁻⁴ MPa to 2 MPa at room temperature.
 6. A small thin piece holder according to claim 1, wherein the cut provided in a direction orthogonal to the top surface of the sheet shaped member.
 7. A small thin piece holder according to claim 1, wherein the cut is provided in a direction tilting toward the top surface the sheet shaped member.
 8. A small thin piece holder according to claim 1, wherein the sheet shaped member is housed in a container having a lid.
 9. A small thin piece holder according to claim 1, wherein the small thin piece is an MEMS structure or a TEM mesh or a microscope cantilever. 